Scammers falsely impersonated His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, in an AI-assisted romance scam reported by AFP. His Highness was not involved; the criminals misused his identity and likeness.
According to an AFP report published by France 24 on July 3, 2026, a woman identified only as Maria believed she was speaking to Dubai’s Crown Prince during video calls. The person on the call appeared convincing, but the image was allegedly an AI-generated deepfake controlled by scammers.
Quick answer
The case involved scammers falsely impersonating His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum through fake online accounts and AI-assisted video calls.
The victim reportedly lost her savings after being persuaded to pay for forged documents linked to a supposed marriage and job opportunity in Dubai. The incident shows how deepfake technology is making romance scams more realistic and harder to detect.
What happened
Maria reportedly met the scammer on a dating site before the conversation moved to a messaging app. The fake account used romantic messages and live video calls to build trust.
AFP reported that a scammer appeared on a WhatsApp video call using a lifelike imitation of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan. The manipulated image appeared realistic, but the voice reportedly did not match.
The victim was later asked to pay for what were described as a marriage certificate and a “royal membership card” linked to a job in Dubai. She reportedly paid 100,000 Philippine pesos, around $1,625.
How the scam was exposed
The scam began to unravel when the fake suitor asked for more money for a hotel booking. The additional request reportedly made Maria check the Facebook account more carefully.
She later found signs that the account was connected to Nigeria, according to the AFP report. The account has since been removed.
Researchers cited in the report linked some similar scams to fraud networks operating from West Africa.
::sources::
Why the identity of Dubai’s Crown Prince was misused
Scammers often exploit well-known public figures because their images and videos are widely available online. In this case, the fraudsters allegedly misused the likeness of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, who has a large global social media following.
The report said fake pages and groups have used royal imagery, copied content and manipulated romantic posts to draw people into private chats on WhatsApp or Telegram.
Some scams also ask victims for payments linked to fake donations, forged marriage certificates, membership cards or travel arrangements.
Why AI deepfakes make romance scams harder to spot
Traditional romance scams relied mostly on fake photos and messages. AI tools now allow criminals to create more convincing video content, including face-swapping and motion-controlled clips.
This makes the scam feel more personal because the victim may believe they are seeing the real person during a live call.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that deepfake videos and audio clips can be used to mislead the public, damage reputations and support fraud schemes.
::cta::
A wider global scam problem
The case is part of a much larger global scam trend. The Global Anti-Scam Alliance estimates that consumers lost hundreds of billions of dollars to scams in the past year, including romance fraud and impersonation schemes.
Public figures are frequent targets for identity misuse. Similar cases have involved scammers pretending to be celebrities, business leaders and officials to convince victims to send money.
For online users in the UAE and abroad, the main warning sign remains the same: a person met online asks for money, documents, bank transfers or crypto payments before any real in-person verification.
Frequently asked questions
::faq::
::in-short::
The incident is a reminder that even video calls can now be manipulated. Anyone contacted online by a public figure, celebrity or royal account should be cautious, verify through official channels and never send money based only on an online relationship.
